0

According to Cambridge Dictionary, "while" as a "conjunction" means

compared with the fact that; but

as in this example

Tom is very extroverted and confident while Katy's shy and quiet.

In the post The US/British tag on Merriam-Webster, I wrote

On the "Definition of in school" page of Merriam-Webster, the US tag is used. While the "Definition of at school" page uses the British tag.

Where I was trying to connect two sentences using the conjunction "while" and compare two uses. Did I use it correctly? Are there any other expressions more natural could be used here?

JQQ
  • 433
  • 4
  • 13

2 Answers2

1

First example:

Tom is very extroverted and confident while Katy's shy and quiet.

This example is clear and natural. However, if your intended meaning of "while" is equivalent to another conjunction like "but" or "yet", I think it is clearer to use the alternative conjunction, since "while" also has a temporal definition (Cambridge Dictionary):

during the time that, or at the same time as

It is possible for someone to interpret the meaning of "while" temporally, although they would likely need more context:

During the times Tom is very extroverted and confident, Katy is shy and quiet.

Second example:

On the "Definition of in school" page of Merriam-Webster, the US tag is used. While the "Definition of at school" page uses the British tag.

Your second sentence is incomplete; it is a sentence fragment. It would be fixed if you change the period into a comma:

On the "Definition of in school" page of Merriam-Webster, the US tag is used, while the "Definition of at school" page uses the British tag.

ʇolɐǝz ǝɥʇ qoq
  • 2,242
  • 7
  • 31
  • 52
0

"While" as a conjunction is used to join two clauses separated by a comma, not two sentences. So your example should instead be written:

On the "Definition of in school" page of Merriam-Webster, the US tag is used, while the "Definition of at school" page uses the British tag.

Some more examples:

One difference is that leopards have spots, while tigers have stripes.

His persistence, while charming at first, quickly became annoying.

While the cat's away, the mice will play.

pinkfrosty
  • 561
  • 3
  • 7